Latest News from Bosnia and Herzegovina
Venice Commission, OSCE, Criticise Bosnian Serbs ‘Foreign Agents’ Bill
The Venice Commission, the Council of Europe's constitutional law experts, and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, ODIHR, have warned that the new draft law in Bosnia's Republika Srpska entity on the "Special Registry and Publicity of the Work of Non-Profit Organisation", dubbed the "foreign agents law", "contains serious deficiencies".
Teacher Injured in School Shooting in Bosnia, Former Pupil Arrested
A teacher has been shot and is undergoing medical treatment after a 13-year-old opened fire in an elementary school in Lukavac in northeast Bosnia on Wednesday morning.
"The suspect is a child who is not yet 14 years old (born in late June 2009). The child is being held at Lukavac Police Department," Admir Arnautovic, Tuzla Canton Prosecutor's Office's spokesperson, told the media.
Bosnia CSOs Warn that New FOI Bill Will Limit Citizens’ Rights
A group of 20 civil society organisations from Bosnia and Herzegovina, gathered in the Initiative for Monitoring European Integration, has issued a warning on "the shortcomings of the Draft Law on Freedom of Access to Information of Bosnia and Herzegovina," which Bosnia's state-level government, the Council of Ministers, adopted on April 12.
Once a War Criminal, Always a War Criminal?
The question of rehabilitation and reintegration of war criminals has not attracted much attention either in the countries of the former Yugoslavia or internationally. This is somewhat odd considering that 59 of 91 individuals sentenced by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, ICTY have already been released from prison after serving sentences for grave crimes.
Analysing Algorithms: Bosnian Media Complain of Facebook Guessing Game
But editors and journalists in Bosnia tell BIRN they struggle with its inconsistency in content moderation and a lack of transparency about its algorithms. And when they call Facebook for clarification, too often they are left hanging.
"An armed conflict must be prevented"; If it escalates NATO sends thousands of troops
"If the situation becomes increasingly unstable, if it starts escalating again, of course, that is an option," Wigemark said.
Let us remind you that after the escalation of the situation in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, NATO announced that it would send an additional 700 soldiers to the north, the so-called Kosovo.
In North Kosovo, Expect the Expected
More generally, there is a sense that Pristina has failed to uphold its end of the bargain by refusing to establish the Association/Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, A/CSM, one of the key elements of the now decade-old Brussels Agreement. For Kosovo Serbs, the A/CSM is a vital mechanism through which their community rights can be advanced.
Escobar: Even if Kurti doesn't want it, CSM will be formed
He also said that the only question is whether Kosovo wants to wait for Euro-Atlantic integration until Prime Minister Albin Kurti fulfills his obligation. Escobar emphasized that "Kosovo must now move as a matter of urgency", and indicated that the establishment of the CSM is an international, legal, undertaken obligation.
Bosnian Warehouse Workers Find Huge Cocaine Stash in Banana Boxes
Bosnia's State Investigation and Protection Agency, SIPA on Monday confirmed the seizure of 124 kilograms of cocaine that was found in banana boxes in a warehouse in the town of Siroki Brijeg.
"I can confirm the seizure, the investigators have done their part of the job, but due to the ongoing investigation, I can't give more details," Jelena Miovcic, SIPA's spokeswoman, told BIRN.